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charlietuna92's review against another edition
5.0
This book was fascinating, timely, and extremely readable. It covered the history of the world through the lens of viruses and bacteria; from Neolithic diseases that contributed to hominid evolution, how plagues aided in the fall of Rome, and how disease contributed to colonialism and its legacies, all the way to revolutions in sanitation during the Industrial Revolution, and the impacts of COVID-19.
Living through COVID-19, the phrase “this is unprecedented” was a common utterance. This book, however, paints it with a much broader lens and shows us the wider perspective. It wasn’t unprecedented, and it was just the latest in a long line of historically life-changing illnesses. The author is clearly incredibly knowledgeable on the subject. He uses a wealth of primary sources as well as citing other well known and informed experts. Despite the presence of dense and challenging information and analysis, this book is incredibly easy to understand. The author was able to take these concepts, and distill them down to their key points, and relay that those the reader in a way that was comprehensible, but not patronizing.
If you find history, science, or politics, interesting, I highly recommend this book.
Living through COVID-19, the phrase “this is unprecedented” was a common utterance. This book, however, paints it with a much broader lens and shows us the wider perspective. It wasn’t unprecedented, and it was just the latest in a long line of historically life-changing illnesses. The author is clearly incredibly knowledgeable on the subject. He uses a wealth of primary sources as well as citing other well known and informed experts. Despite the presence of dense and challenging information and analysis, this book is incredibly easy to understand. The author was able to take these concepts, and distill them down to their key points, and relay that those the reader in a way that was comprehensible, but not patronizing.
If you find history, science, or politics, interesting, I highly recommend this book.
lottie1803's review against another edition
challenging
dark
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.25
erzathefairy's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting argument and commentary but felt a bit lacking
janey's review against another edition
5.0
This ranks in many ways right up there with Paul Farmer's last book.
kassiani's review against another edition
The introduction!! going through the history of evolution through bacteria (microbiomes with bacterias in the gut to help with depression!). We evolved from bacteria, and in-body foetal development happened due to viruses. the effect that microbes had on our bodies and brain defined the way we evolved! Levenhook and microscopes, germs and bacteria
great men's history vs histoire vue d'en bas d'Henri Lefebvre
chapter 1 : lord of the rings analysis (middle earth as early life). despite the dominant theories of homo sapiens' superiority, there is evidence of neanderthal's thriving lives and skills (paintings cave art, potential for language, making tools...), no huge behavioral and cognitive gap despite superiority complex.
// Mead's theory that human civilization started when we started caring for the weak and the sick (signs of compassion within society) - (example of a healed bone fratctures)
climate and diseases - caused the disappearance of neanderthals, mating between close relatives in the glacial period.
chapter 2: immigration. Stonehenge built by immigrants. Settled agriculture (farming) helped the development of microbes and diseases (the neolithic revolution). theories of civilization! Rousseau: fall of man theory. Hierarchies and states = inequalities. 5000 yo neumonic plague (mass graves in Sweden, dna from teeth enamel) in earliest towns (in modern Ukraine, rich black soil, mega settlments) with open spaces, population density and close contact to animals = plague through Europe, long distance trade of jewelry for example, connectivity.
So much immigrantation through Europe - dna shows ancestry from the Steppe herders (5000 yo ago), not initially white in Britain, and indo european languages and common vocabulary.
Chapter 3: plague in the Illiad! Susan Sontag: plague as « collective calaminities ». Thucydides: plague in Athens during the war against Sparta. In Sophocles in Oedipus Rex inspired by plague in Athens. Pericles died! Quotes Monty Python! Romans (through their empire) set up baths, toilets and aqueducs, but terrible hygiene made those contamination grounds. Malaria stopped Hannibal’s progression to Rome. Plague led to the fall of Rome, due to their differential impact vs the enemy germanic tribes. First one the Antonine Plague, then the plague of Cyprianic (see Dionysus in Alexandria) = crisis of the third century.
Plagues helping the development of monotheistic religions (see Rodney Stark) - reassurance of life after death
Justinian plague in Constantinople (bubonic)
Chapter 4: medieval times. 13th-14th century: Climate conditions & geopolitical conditions (Genghis Khan’s empire and pathogens’ journey, pax mongolica, silk road routes.) bacteria in teeth, first in China first, then genoa (slave market). Decameron by Boccacio. Strasbourg - jewish communities persecuted and blamed to have poisoned town wells. Petrarch’s accountd. Black death returned every few years during the 14th and 15th century. Foucault: plagues revealed the control of the (modern) state over people’s lives (quarantine etc), controling people’s bodies in addition to borders. Plagues during the Ottoman empire (Mamluk soldiers vulnerable to it). Crisis of faith (see Chaucer) - taking advantage of people’s existential angst, indulgences —> Reformation and protestantism
Chapter 5: colonial plague, germs! Explanation for the spanish conquest of the americas - see Guns germs and steel book. Malaria, yellow pox, small pox, syphilis… Quinine
Chapter 6: revolutionary plagues. Slavery and black lives matter. Adam Smith on slavery. Mosquitoes and bacteria in West Africa & American tropics (malaria) deadly for colonizers - development of wide scale african slavery. Modern American slavery was for the first time racialized, see the hierarchical theories of the Enlightenment (Kant…). The role of malaria in the rise of slavery (from West Africa) in the southern states (Georgia), revolution in Saint Domingue (Haiti) - hindered Napoleon and led to the Louisiana purchase.
Chapter 7: industrial age. Invention of the toilet! Horrible conditions of the urban poor (1833 Workers’ right in the UK), widespread alcoholism, domestic abuse, absence of sanitation (waste into river, main source of drinking water) laissez-faire Poor Laws, Victorian austerity - Engels writes cities are "hell on earth", spread of pathogens, airborne tuberculosis and waterborne diarrheal diseases, cholera. terrible poor relief : workhouses in the UK (see Dickens), William Farr = sanitary movement based on the filth theory of disease. Need welfare government to invest in preventative health infrastructure (not included in the invisible hand of the market by Smith, and against individual wealthy interests, but long term benefits). Jon Snow epidemeological experiment = discovery of waterborne disease of cholera. Germ theory! 1858 Great Stink of London motivated the underground sewage system. Hambourg terrible conditions, major port, 1882 last major european cholera outbreak. = Needed political reforms, state intervention, open municipal elections... Keynes: do not trust the greedy few to advance the public good of the many on their own dime. Except Sweden, public health legislation in 1870s before economic growth.
Chapter 8: poverty plagues. Klimt's series of murals for the Vienna University great hall (1894) on the theme light defeating darkness (never displayed, destroyed by the Nazis) = sharp criticism, life is painful and death is certain. Pinker: contemporary theorist of the triumphant narrative of humanity, science and reason as progress for healthy world. Liberal optimism vs stark inequalities. Poverty trap for lower income countries like in Subsaharan Africa, with theoretically treatable but deadly diseases like TB, malaria, HIV AIDS... Pharmaceutical companies refused to lower the costs of treatment.
The Chinese case study of public health: inoculation since 1000 years, since the yellow emperor, even if major spread of diseases during the Century of Humiliations. Public health under the communist party: executing the four pests, including rats, flies, mosquitoes, sparrows, the capitalist bird (yah) but disrupted ecological balance. Barefoot doctors in rural areas, stopped after Mao's death. Strong state intervention for prevention.
Legacy of colonialism. health for all movement. Shit life syndrome: differential affect of preventable diseases depending on wealth = socially transmitted. EX: unhealthy eating, obesity in low income areas, alcoholism, drug overdoses, suicide... EX: blackpoole in the UK. Deindustrial revolution. National health care: see UK vs US.